With a nearly identical starting line-up every game since the start of the season, it’ll be interesting to see how we turn out against Coventry especially in midfield. It’s more than likely the play style will stay the same, but without the fluidity we’ve been seeing due to the likely omissions of Cazorla and Podolski from the squad – the pair are pretty much telepathic when working the ball down the left hand side.

With Eastmond out on loan to Colchester and Rosický battling for fitness, the midfielders in the squad are likely to be as follows: Coquelin, Ramsey, Arshavin, Eisfeld, Frimpong, Yennaris and Gnarby. The latter being one of our most exciting prospects, in fact, Wenger had this to say: “If he continues his development, I think he could play in the first team this season”

Will tomorrow be Serge Gnarby’s first chance?

As much as I’d like to see Wilshere pull on an Arsenal shirt for the first time since August 2011, the chances of him being involved are slim. He still needs “practice games,” although it’s become apparent that he is now training with the ball.

Defensively we’ve been sound. We’ve only conceded three goals this season, two of which were away from home, against defending league champions Montpellier (Ligue 1) and Manchester City (Barclays PL). It’s clear that Steve Bould’s appointment as assistant manager is already paying off. Hopefully similar rearguard action will be on display against Coventry. With a back four that is likely to include the clumsy Johan Djourou and the sub-par Sebstian Squillaci, our cup-tie will show us if Bould’s work has proved effective on our less competent defenders.

In attack, we could be seeing a few more long-balls being played if Giroud or Chamakh start the game, but both players are more than capable of playing the ball on the floor, Chamakh over Giroud in this case (overall Giroud is by far the better player). Giroud needs ninety minutes under his belt and this is the perfect opportunity, and as far as I’m concerned, Chamakh’s time at the club is up so playing him would be a waste of time.

The past two games have seen us start without a lone striker, instead we’ve deployed Gervinho as a deep-lying forward, which, against City, opened up channels to bring Cazorla, Diaby and Ramsey into the game more – almost like a 4-6-0 and not a 4-3-3.

COVENTRY

As for our opponents, they aren’t much of a threat and I believe we’ll see them off, but knowing us we’ll make a meal out of it…

David McGoldrick is currently Coventry’s leading league goalscorer with two goals from five appearances in League One this season. The team have only scored seven in the league this season and they’re still searching for the first win of the campaign. So far they’ve played 8, lost 5, drawn 3. In the last round of the Capital One Cup they just about saw off Birmingham to make it through to the third round, it took a 97^TH minute winner to topple the Blues.

From what Wenger’s been saying about his ambitions in this tournament, it seems as if we’ll field a strong(ish) side against a very unsteady Coventry eleven. The boys should see it out within ninety minutes, but avoiding complacency is key, these smaller teams are always fired up when playing the big guns.

AND NOW FOR A SNIPPET ON THEO…

It seems we have another money-hungry player who says he isn’t motivated by money. In the summer, Walcott had offers to leave the club but stayed because he wanted to “become on Arsenal legend” – yet he hasn’t signed a new contract, what’s with the delay? If it’s not about money, then it’s about his role in the team.

Time to dissect a quote:

“I signed as a striker. I’ve learnt my trade out on the wing. Hopefully, I’ll get to play up front in the next few games. It’s frustrating being on the bench, but it’s one of those things I have to deal with.”

Theo Walcott was 16 when he was signed, he was an “attacker” and his training most likely covered playing out wide, up front, and possibly the ’10’ role. Secondly, Wenger is a very smart man and can clearly see – as can everyone else – that he hasn’t learned his trade out on the wing. If he wants to play up front he can keep on dreaming. We’ve signed Ligue 1’s top scorer who is yet to break his duck but we’re still scoring goals, so why would we need/want to play Walcott down the middle as a striker? As for being unhappy on the bench, has he not come to the realisation that he is most effective as an impact player? Has he not noticed his pace is his most valuable asset? Hodgson had the right idea in the Euros, bringing him on against Sweden in the second half to turn the game on its head.

Theo is quite popular amongst Gooners so his departure may leave a few people scratching their heads. But if he doesn’t step up his game and prove his worth then he needs to leave in January. We’ll be lucky to get £15M for him.

12 Comments

1. 

   highburyterracesteve

   27 September, 12 at 06:37

   I didn’t get to see the match so I’d appreciate a report from anybody who did. It sounds like it was a good outing and nice that Ollie/Arsh/Ox/Feo all got off the mark. With the short turnaround to the Chelsea match, it’s probably all about which of those guys get to come off the bench while the same 11 who started against City look set to go again.

   Overall, I think that’s a good thing, despite my reservations about some individuals (Gerv and Ramsey, in particular). We’re almost getting lulled into the idea that nobody gets hurt and that there is REAL competition for places. On Saturday, I look for an open match with a low scoreline. We were lucky to hit Stamford Bridge with Chelsea in full AVB mutiny last Autumn, whilst the nil-nil in the Spring was a classic of the can’t afford to lose variety. Something in between seems likely with lots of good matchups, including Mata/Cazorla, the two ex-Lille players (Hazard/Gervinho) and their fullbacks (notably Cashley against Jenkinson) vs ours.

   Frankly, I think this is a match where Abou Diaby needs to take the reins and turn defense into attack in a decisive manner and show that he is undroppable. If he cannot, then I fear the Chelsea defense, lead by Petr Cech (finally back from the cracked skull) and full of brio from their CL run, may have the upper hand on Don Vito and our group of misfits. Certainly it’s a another big test. One (or fewer) goals conceded makes points far easier to come by, even if your CF is Gervinho or Giroud rather than RVP…..

   Finally, on Kiwi’s idea about blowouts. Yes, they ARE nice and they do send a message about our discipline AND ruthlessness. Moreover they show a desire within the squad. Given that we’ve struggled for goals in the tougher matches–6 points dropped, it could be argued, vs Sunderland and at Stoke and City–I think what it really shows is that there’s an even deeper level of enthusiasm, a desire to maintain the mindset of always “playing on the break,” and that doing the small things correctly (esp. on defense) combined with ALWAYS making the runs, can get you a goal or a chance or a step closer to a spot in the first 11. After the City match, where they probably should have put us away early in the 2nd half, I was struck by the lack of desire in their camp and small errors which, had they been eliminated through better focus, would have gotten them a 2nd or 3rd goal. In this era of (massive) player power (i.e., give me a fricken break, Theo Walcott, and why is Arshavin our highest paid player?….) complacency amongst the “free agents” who’ve “made it” is ALWAYS a problem. We’re still yet to be tested by (real) adversity (like losing, terrible reffing, injury, etc.) but teams that found us a soft touch (basically all of them) in recent years may be in for a surprise….

   Or at least that’s the hope….

   Reply
2. 

   stag133

   27 September, 12 at 02:56

   Theo.
   THEO!!!

   Reply
3. 

   DaAdminGooner

   26 September, 12 at 22:38

   In the post-match presser Wenger said these two things – (prepare yourselves)

   1. Walcott is a good finisher now. His time at forward will come.

   2. Arshavin’s best position is behind the striker allowing his creativity to flow.

   Either someone kidnapped Wenger or he was kidnapped about 5 years ago and has finally come back

   Reply
   • 

     OziKenyan

     27 September, 12 at 01:59

     @DaAdminGooner,

     lol

     Reply
4. 

   Kiwi

   26 September, 12 at 22:27

   Another nice result in the CC. 6-1, plenty of goals, Giroud off the mark, Arshavin given the role in the hole – could he become the backup to Cazorla?

   Managing players is a tricky business. Wenger has to find the right buttons to push with Arshavin. It seems the guy wants to stay in England and London, he likes to be the playmaker and yet Wenger has normally played him wide or even as a CF. Maybe there is a window for Arshavin to rest or come on for Cazorla. It doesn’t feel like a compelling scenario at present but the little Russian has rare ability and could be the go-to guy for Wenger a bit like Bergkamp late in his career.

   One of the things that disappeared from our game during the wilderness years was the ability to thrash teams. That used to be very much part of what you got with the great Arsenal team(s) but it faded badly. The ability to thrash a team reflects a lot of things, one of those things is a bit of mongrel and ruthlessness. It’s really interesting that this new emerging side has exhibited it twice in a short time. First Southampton and then Coventry. No mercy, just a good ole fashioned hiding, 6 goals each time.

   Dishing out a hiding is like cleaning out the jets, you gotta do it on a semi-regular basis. Let the team go wild, score goals for fun, and make your opponents a little bit nervous that they might be next. The wilderness teams didn’t have that ‘quality’, they struggled to build and hold compelling leads let alone massive ones.

   Like I say, in the early days your looking for markers, signs of what character this team possesses. Are we flacky, unable to defend leads, superficial, predictable and easy to defend against, ticky tacky obssessed? Or are we seeing the qualities that can help a team be more consistent, bounce back from disappointment, accumulate points, and go toe to toe down the home stretch?

   Reply
5. 

   DaAdminGooner

   26 September, 12 at 19:08

   Starting XI:

   Martinez, Miquel, Djourou, Angha, Yennaris, Santos, Coquelin, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, Arshavin, Giroud

   Subs:

   Shea, Squillaci, Bellerin, Frimpong, Eisfeld, Gnabry, Chamakh

   Reply
6. 

   seattle gooner

   26 September, 12 at 19:01

   I thought I read somewhere that Ignasi Miquel would play. I assume it will be him pairing with Djourou and not Squillaci. I would guess we’ll see Nico Yennaris and Andre Santos to round out the back four.

   Reply
7. 

   stag133

   26 September, 12 at 03:37

   Myles.
   First off, we are NEVER going to get 15 Million for Theeo at this point..
   why would anyone pay any kind of fee in January,
   when they can wait a few months and get the player on a FREE?

   Secondly, with all the BS the club dish out on a regular basis, why would you
   doubt a player at this point?
   Theo has NEVER said he wanted to leave. He has not spoken up about money in the press…
   He definitely loves the idea of becoming the next Thierry Henry at the Arsenal…
   and if you don’t like him as a winger, why the hell wouldn’t you try him at the striker position?
   He’d be PERFECT to play up front, in a match against Coventry in the League Cup.

   There’s one thing that’s not even remotely debatable…
   check his stats the last few years… you can hate on the player all you like, but the statistics do not lie. He is one of our best offensive players, and has been for a few years…

   Reply
   • 

     MylesBurrell

     26 September, 12 at 12:09

     @stag133, I should have made myself clearer on the “£15M” thing. It was more of a twitter rant as many Gooners on there reckon that’s what he’ll go for. I reckon we can recoup about £6M for him, hence why I said “lucky”. Also, I know he never said he wants to leave but he had interest in the summer that he ignored because he wants to stay at Arsenal. I still think he can improve out wide as he looks much better with Sagna helping him out. I just think it’s too late for him to start making demands about changing position. I’d rather we buy a striker in January than start playing Theo there. I’d love my doubts about him playing up front to be proved wrong.

     Reply
8. 

   OziKenyan

   26 September, 12 at 03:14

   @Kiwi and by extension, DAG, since it’s his site:

   I think number of comments and interaction could go up a fair bit with 2 minor changes:

   -Website look! Dark text on white background I think is a an absolute necessity. I tolerate this because I enjoy talking to the likes of Kiwi, HT, Stag, CK, Josh et al. We’ve got a good group going and it’s worth the eye-sore.

   -Website errors – Buggy posting/edit features. Get rid of these and user friendliness goes up a heap encouraging more interaction.

   Not complaining or anything. More aimed at constructive criticism..

   Reply
   • 

     vibe4arsenal

     26 September, 12 at 16:52

     @OziKenyan,

     Spot on there. We’ve been complaining about the readability of this site for some time. I don’t believe I’ve seen that addressed once. The Edit feature has been coming and going since Day 1. This has been addressed, just not permanently. If the former were ‘fixed’, the absense of the Edit feature would be less of an issue.

     Reply
9. 

   OziKenyan

   26 September, 12 at 03:09

   @HTSteve:

   Okay there is clearly some confusion. I already have a draft-style league going using the official game (salary cap) and some spreadsheet work on my part. The league has 9 players and good fantasy football prospects are at a premium even with such few players.

   What the survey was about was creating a whole new game. How many people would be interested? I don’t know… There’s almost 3 million people that play the official game. If about 50k of them were willing to pay 2-3 per season (sadly not looking promising – it’s all about free these days), then it may offset the development/maintenance costs of such a site. What I’m proposing is a whole new game, not me doing some work on excel to run 1 or 2 leagues…

   For those that haven’t done the survey and are interested (takes about 30 seconds):

   http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QH8XV7W

   Reply